the place where Paleontology and Paleoanthropology meets Philately
Armenia
Dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals on stamps and postmarks of Armenia
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Contents:
- Country overview
- Philately of Armenia
- Official stamps of Armenia related to Paleontology
- Postmarks of Armenia related to Paleontology
- References
- Acknowledgements
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located in West Asia on the Armenian Highlands, it is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the de facto independent Republic of Artsakh and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and Azerbaijan's exclave of Nakhchivan to the south.
Armenia is one of the most ancient countries of the world. It is a small country that connects Europe to Asia.
By the 19th century, Eastern Armenia had been conquered by the Russian Empire, while most of the western parts of the traditional Armenian homeland remained under Ottoman rule.
In 1918, following the Russian Revolution, all non-Russian countries declared their independence after the Russian Empire ceased to exist, leading to the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia.
By 1920, the state was incorporated into the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, and in 1922 became a founding member of the Soviet Union. In 1936, the Transcaucasian state was dissolved, transforming its constituent states, including the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, into full Union republics.
The modern Republic of Armenia became independent in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Today, Armenia is an independent democratic country with a population of around 3.2 million. It has a very large diaspora, an average of 8 million Armenians live worldwide.
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| Regular letter from Armenia, with stamp of Mammuthus trogontherii from 2019, sent to Germany in the same year |
Unlike areas such as Russia, China, and Mongolia, not much dinosaur fossils have been reported in Armenia. So far only few bones of dinosaurs and pterosaurs are known in the country.
The first Armenian stamps were overprinted Russian stamp, issued in 1919. Between 1922 and 1991, when Armenia was part of Soviet Union, Soviet stamps used on the territory of the country.
The first stamp of modern Armenia was issued on April 28, 1992 to commemorate Independence Day. On July 26 1992, another set of four stamps was issued for the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games before the first new definitives appeared on August 25 of the same year.
Earlier modern stamps were issued denominated in Rubles. On August 4, 1994, the first stamps to use the new currency, the Armenian Dram were issued. [R2] Nowadays, Armenia issue 40-80 stamps per year, with international sales office based in USA.
In 2017 Armenia started the multi-year set "Flora and fauna of the ancient world". Since then, the country has issued one or two stamps a year dedicated to prehistoric animals of the world.
Official stamps of Armenia that related to Paleontology: dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals
Notes:
[1] FDC of this set appeared in online store of Armenian Post and post offices in the country in the middle of January 2018. FDC of 2018 stamps issued together with the stamps
Postmarks and meter franking of Armenia related to Paleontology: dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals
Legend is here| 28.12.2017 "Flora and fauna of the ancient world (I)" [FDC] | 14.12.2018 "Flora and fauna of the ancient world (II)" [FDC] | 27.03.2019 "Flora and fauna of the ancient world (III)" [FDC] |
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| 28.12.2020 "Flora and fauna of the ancient world (IV)" [FDC] | 06.05.2021 "Flora and fauna of the ancient world (V)" [FDC] | 08.04.2022 "Flora and fauna of the ancient world (VI)" [FDC] |
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References:
- [R1] Armenia: Wikipedia, WikiTravel, FlagCounter. Dinosaurs of Armenia,
- [R2] Postal History and Philately of Armenia:
Wikipedia,
Links to official website of the Post Authority, stamp catalog and a list of new stamps of Armenia are here
Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for the draft page review and his very valuable comments.
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